On the recordMarch 5, 2021
I rise today in support of working men and women across the country, and I am proud to stand with Senator Sanders, who has been a champion for working people. Let me be clear: Raising the minimum wage is COVID relief. The COVID- 19 pandemic has highlighted the immense underlying inequities in our Nation. It has also driven home how important essential workers are to our society and to our economy. Millions of Americans do essential work but are not paid a living wage. They work as home health aides, assisting elderly family members to meet their basic needs with dignity. They produce our food, stock our grocery shelves, keep facilities clean and safe, care for our children, and so much more, so that we can go to work. They are on the frontlines of this pandemic, risking their health, yet still struggling to keep themselves and their families healthy. They shouldn't also have to struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. Both of my parents worked jobs that are considered essential today. For 40 years, my father worked as a short-order cook. For the same 40 years, my mom was a domestic worker. And it is people like them all over America who work hard, with dignity, yet still struggle to make ends meet. That is not the American dream--far from it. It is finally time that Congress does something about it. There is strong bipartisan support throughout the country for raising the minimum wage.…
